Adjustable seat for automotive vehicles



Nov. 25, 1941. c, ANDERsE-N 2363;834-

ADJUSTABLE SEAT FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES Filed Oct. 10, 1938 3Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY5 Nov. 25, 1941. A, c; ANDERSEN 2,263,834

ADJUSTABLE SEAT FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES Filed Oct. 10, 1938 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.8. E810.

INVENTOR.

' Kind/em Christian flndeme/I v ATTORNEY5 Nov. 25, 1941. A. c. ANDERSENADJUSTABLE-SEAT FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES Filed 001:. 10, 1938 3Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 25, 1941 UNITED .Anwmem SEAT FORauroivro'rrvr. Q f I 1 7 VEHICLES I V A Andrew Christian Andersen, Detrit, lynch. r Signor to Ternstedt Manufacturing Company, I Detroit, Mich,a-corporation of Michig 7 Ai315ncai i enoctobe 10,1938, Serial No.234.123 f if" i 5Clairns. (o1.'155--14) This invention relates to anadjustable seat for an automotive vehicle and more particularly to ahOIdr-dOWI'l. arrangement for preventing rattling of the seat adjuster.a

It has been common practiceto adjustably mount automotive vehicleseatsiupon, the floor of the vehicle body by means of an adjuster in theform of a trackand .aslide orrroller .for traveling along the. track.-The track is secured either to the bottom frame of-the seat or to thevehicle fioor and the 'slide' or roller mountedvon the other of thesemembers. The problem which is ever present in this type of seatadjusteris that of preventing rattles, particularly between thetrack and itscooperating slide or roller. At

present the tightening or adjustmentof the holddown device is left tothe judgment or skill of the workman assembling the adjuster. .In viewof this one or the other 'of twov defects are present in thehold-downIdevice used. ,for holding. the slide or roller upon thetrack,ito -wit: either the hold-down device holds the slide or, rollerso tightly against the track that adjustment of the roller along thetrack can only be achieved with difficulty due to the friction setup bythe holddown device or else thehold-down device does not hold the slideor roller tightly against the track and rattles inevitably result.

It is an object of this invention to produce a hold-down arrangement fora seat adjuster which will eliminate the above-mentioned personal factorin assembly and overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages so that theseat may be easily adjusted and so that the seat adjuster will remainfree from rattling and chattering during the operation of the vehiclewhether the seat is occupied or not. a

It is also an object of this invention to produce a seat adjuster havinga hold-down device which during assembly will automatically draw theslide or roller against the trackwith the properpressure to preventrattles and permit easy seat adjustment without requiring the workmanassembling the adjuster to guess or. determine the pressure with whichthe slide or roller is held against the track.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing ported upon the floor of the vehicleadjuster. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary seat cushion and adjuster.

Fig. 3 is a detail View of thefronttrack and roller.

Fig. 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

the seat sup by the seat front elevation of the Fig. 5. is a detailofthe rear rollerandinclined trackway. j 1;

.Fig. 6 is a section along the line6+6 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 7 throughlO are details of the principal form of the hold-downdevice. ,4 Fig. 11 is a fragmentary side elevation of, a seat and seatadjuster showing a modified-.form of hold-down device. -i

Figs. 12 and, 13 are sections along the lines I2--I2 and l3l3,of-Fig-.11. ,1

Figs. 14 and 157show, details ,of.the modified form of the hold-downbracket. 1 a

Referring more particularly to .the drawings there is shown a 'seatl-having a bottom frame 2.. The floor of the vehicle body is referenced3. The seat is supported at thefront. by an ad.- juster comprising apair of: stamped metal support members 4 whichare bolted or otherwise secured to the floor 3." The support members 4 are U shaped in vertical c1'oss;section and rotatably support a shaft '5 having a combinationequalizin gear and support rollerfi at. each end. 1 The combination gearand roller members 6 are fixed to the end of the shaft 5 and mountedbetween the side Walls of the supports 4. A pair of combination trackandrack members 1 are fixed to the bottom frame 2.; The" rack portions -ofthe members 1 mesh with the gears and thetrack portion rides upontheroller portion of the com,- bination gear and rollenmembers 6.. Thetrack members 1 each have a depending flange 8 provided with an-abutment9 at each end. The seat can be adjusted forwardly and rearwardly between the abutments 9. One or the otherof the abutments 9 abut the shaft5 to arrest. either the forward or rearwardadjustment of the seat. 7'

The tracks 1 are held down upon the roller s 6 by the hold-down bracketl0. The bracket l0 hasanoutwardly turned flange ll along its: up peredge which rests upon the downwardly and inwardly turned flange l 2,of-.the track 7. The bracket l fi is provided withan inwardly turned Lshaped flange 13 along its lower edge which serves as a seatfor acushion l4 of any suitable resilient material such as rubber. Theflangefl3 of the bracket. l0 projects through an opening I 5 in thesupport 4. The support 4 is provided with an inwardly turned flange 16along the upper edge of the opening IS. The support 4 is also providedwith a pair of outwardly turned hooked lugs l1 for guiding and securingthe hold-down bracket I0 to the support 4.

In assembly the equalizing shaft 5 and combination gear and rollermembers 6 are journaled in the support members 4 and the hold-downbrackets III with their rubber blocks l4 mounted upon the supports 4, asshown in Fig. 4. This sub-assembly is bolted to the floor. Thereaftereach combination track and rack member I is positioned upon and meshedwith the combination gear and roller member 6 and the flange I l of thehold-down bracket l introducedin to the end of the track-'I-above the'flange II-thereby automatically compressing the rubber block I4 thecorrect amount which determines the amount of pressure under whichthehold-down bracket I0, acting through flanges llrland .I2, holds thetrack 1 down upon the roller 6. The amount-of pressure with which thetrack is held down upon the roller is determined and. the size of the,parts including the hold-down arrangement .and the rubber blockdetermined before the workman assembles the track and hold-downarrangement so that correct compression of the block is automaticallyobtained by assembly and the personal judgment of the assembly workmanas to what constitutes the proper compression ofthe rubbenblock I4 iseliminated. Inadjustment of theseat the tracks 1, of course, roll uponthe rollers 6 and the flangetlslidesalong=thehold- 'down flange- The-seat is supported at the rear by means of rollers I8 journaled uponpins lflwhichare riveted to support'brackets 20. The support bracketsare bolted toitheseat-bottoml. "The rollers: I8- roll upon inclinedtrackways- 2| Each roller I8 is held upon-the trackll by a'holddownbracket 22 having-a flange23 awhich slidably engages the underside ofthe trackway '21. The trackwayll is provided-with a'slot -53 for thehold-down bracket '22 as theseat is adjusted forwardly and rearwardly.A-seat-243Fig. '10, for a block of rubber 25 'isprovided in the form ofastamping :carried by the support 20. The hold-down'bracket fi isprovided with-anopening 26 for theseat 24' and withan inwardly turnedflange 21' which contacts the' upper iace--of the rubberblock25. thehold-down arrangement' above described, the rubberblo'c'zkZSis-automatically-placed under the-proper compression when-eachroller l8 ispositioned upon' thetrack =2] and the hold-down bracket 22'introduced into the slot-53 with the flange '23 slidably engaging theunder-'face'of the trackill.

In Figs. 11 through '15 thereis-shown a-modified form of the hold-downdevice which-differs from-the principal form of the inventionprimarilyin'that the track andhold-down bracket are provided with twopairofcooperating holddown-flanges instead of a single pair'ofholddownflanges. In this form of the invention the combination track and--rack:member 30' is provided along "each longitudinal edge with --downwardly and inwardly turned flanges -3 I. The support for the equalizingshaft '5 and combination :gear and roller'fi takes the--form-of astamping 32, Fig. 14. "Lugs33-are-struck 'inwardlyfrom theside walls ofthe support'32 thus providing an opening 34 for receptionofthe*hold-down bracket -35-and rubber block36. The hold-down bracket 35 isaU shapedstamping provided-with a pair of outwardly'turned-flanges31.

In assembly the rubber block -36 is positioned upon "the bottom -38 -ofthe bracket 35 and the -bracket-35 slid-over the support 7-3 2 so thatthe rubber block 36-is 'held between-the seat '38-and the inwardlyturned lugs -33. Thereafter the shaft -5 is passed throughthe'opening39- inthe hold-down bracket 35 and -;iournaled with the *combination-gear-and rollerfi in the-support 32.

"40 carried by pins 4| which are journaled in aniinverted .supportbracket 32. The support bracket 32 is bolted to the seat bottom frame 2.

Therollers fllroll upon inclined trackways 43 .whi'chare provided alongach longitudinal edge -withupwardly and inwardly turned flanges 44 whichslidably interengage the flanges 3! of the inverted hold-down member 35.Here again the rubberblook 36 is compressed the correct amount by theintroduction of the flanges 31 in the track "43 beneath the flanges-lfl.

I claim:

*1. In a seat adjuster for :a wehicl'e seat the combination comprisingcooperating :upper ;and

, lowersupportemembers, :the upper :o'f swhich is adapted" to-be securedto: the seat-andathelower of which is a'dapted to bel securedztoitthevehicle floor with :the "upper :member 2 resting upon and=movable-relative rtoethei lowenimembere in the adjustrnentaof the.seat,-- one :of said support-unem- =bers"-having a flange, :a:hold-down member :-.of -2 :section having one end slidably;interengaged with the =flange on zthe :support member :and the other-end:interengagedi with :the other support :member, means securing the.:.-said ;holddown member-to the latterzisupport memberzvior up and downr movement, and .-resilient .means held in compressionbetweerrtheflatter en'd ofxthe -Z-- section hold-down member: andithe..latter support .member -whereby the hold-down member and flange -onthe support member .:cooperate to holdthesupport' -menibers against:rattling.

In -=a seat :a'djuster "for a-vehicleseat:1the combination comprisingcooperating upper and lower :support "members, "the upperof which -isadapted-to Ice-secured to the :seatsand the lower cf-which .is adaptedto 'be secured to'the vehicle floor with the-uppermemberresting upon andmovable :relative 'to I the lower. member :in :the adjustment of these'atgnone of-said-supportxmembers having .=a flangepaz hold down:member; having at one end a "rflangeislidably :engaged :withthew'flangeon the support: member, =means securing the said hold-downmember :to :the 10131181 support. member r for :up and :down movement,.a seat on: the other end of ithe:hold-down;member and an abutment onits respective-support},member, and *resilient meanscheld incompression; between the seat :on the iholdedown ::memb.erw;an'd theabutmenteon its :respective :support member for drawing ;.the zflangeron.atherholdedown, member against the 'flange 1011 the support amem-berwhereby :the :support members are held ;against rattling.

=3'.:"In a*seatadjustenforaa-:-vehicle seat the combination comprisingacooperating upper --and lower support members, the upper-10f which isadaptedte beesecuredzto ;'.the;seat and the. *lower of whichiis adapted:to be secured :itorthe vehicle floor with the upper member restingupon-rand movable relative .to ;the slower ixmember, in "the adjustmentof the seat, none of :zsaid'rsupport members havingsa flangega holdedown:member having at one end a flange slidably engagedi with the flange-onthezsupport: membemmean's securing the said hold-down member to theother support member for up and down movement, a seat on the other endof the hold-down member and an abutment on its respective supportmember, and a rubber block held in compression between the seat on thehold-down member and the abutment on its respective support member fordrawing the flange on the hold-down member against the flange on thesupport member whereby the support members are held against rattling.

4. In a seat adjuster for a vehicle seat the combination comprisingcooperating upper and lower support members, the upper of which isadapted to be secured to the seat and the lower of which is adapted tobe secured to the floor, with the upper member resting upon and movablerelative to the lower member in the adjustment of the seat, a hold-downmember slidably mounted on one of said support members for movement in avertical direction relative to said support member, said hold-downmember slidably engaging said other support member during adjustment ofsaid seat, and resilient means held in compression between the hold-downslidably mounted on one of said support members formovement as anintegral unit in a vertical direction relative to said support member,said hold-down memberslidably engaging said other support member duringadjustment of said seat, and a resilient means held in compressionbetween the unitary hold-down member and the said support member uponwhich the hold-down member is mounted whereby the unitary holddownmember acts to hold the support members against rattling.

ANDREW CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.

